TOP OF THE CROP

Boy basketball

1: (1) Benedictine 8-4

2: (2) Lake Catholic 11-1

3: (3) Brush 10-4

4: (4) Cornerstone 7-6

5: (5) VASJ 7-4

6: (6) Euclid 7-6

7: (7) Mentor 8-4

8: (8) Gilmour 8-3

9: (9) Beachwood 8-6

10: (NR) West Geauga 11-3

Records through Jan. 24 games

Dropped out: South Watch list: South, Mayfield, Chardon, Andrews Osborne, Richmond Heights

Crop comments: Benedictine fell to Akron Hoban on the Knights’ home floor. The Bengals host Padua before they take on Northwestern commit Pete Nance and Revere at John Carroll Jan. 28 . ... Lake Catholic rebounded from its first loss to Benedictine with wins against Padua, Walsh Jesuit and Riverside. The Cougars host rival NDCL Jan. 26 then meet Gilmour at the Dunk4Diabetes Shootout Jan. 28 . ... Brush held off a spirited effort from South and lost in overtime to Shaker Heights. The Arcs face North on Jan. 26 before a matchup with Cornerstone Christian at John Carroll Jan. 28 . ... Cornerstone Christian became the second area team to defeat Division I powerhouse Garfield Heights, and the Patriots meet the other — Brush — Jan. 28 at John Carroll . ... VASJ rebounded from a loss to Cleveland Central Catholic with a win over St. Thomas Aquinas and an impressive victory at Gilmour. The Vikings face a brutal weekend slate against St. Edward in Viking Village Jan. 27 and Hoban on Jan. 28 at John Carroll . ... Euclid fell to Brunswick and defeated North. The Panthers travel to Medina Jan. 26 before they host a rematch with Solon Jan. 30 . ... Mentor picked up a pair of muchneeded GCC wins over Medina and Elyria. The Cardinals host Strongsville on Jan. 26, then travel to Shaker Heights for a rematch of their loss in which Christian Guess hung 57 points on Mentor. ... Gilmour defeated Harvey and Andrews Osborne, but fell to VASJ. The Lancers face rival University on Jan. 26 then Lake Catholic at John Carroll on Jan. 28. ... Beachwood rebounded from a one-point loss to Perry with a 31-point victory against Geneva . ... West Geauga re-enters the crop after a victory over Perry. The Wolverines host Chagrin Falls in a rematch of West Geauga’s 49-48 win on Jan. 2.